If Cardinal Roger Mahoney turns out to be intentionally misreading the provisions of HR4437 relating to providing aid to illegal aliens, doesn't a major part of his argument collapse together with whatever credibility he might still have?

"Whoever assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to reside in or remain in the United States, or to attempt to reside in or remain in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to reside in or remain in the United States, shall be punished as provided [elsewhere in the bill]."

He also provides this snippet from current law:

Any person who, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation, shall be punished as provided...

Clearly, there's little difference between current and proposed law, and Mahoney is reading more into the bill than it says.

If we do as Ponnuru suggests and add a provision exempting social services, have no doubt that Mahoney and other supporters of illegal immigration will stretch it to the limit. But, perhaps some sort of a compromise can be developed that will take the wind out of the Cardinal's sails while at the same time not opening up the new law to abuses by so-called "humanitarian" groups.